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Music

Last Saturday at Molokai’s Guzeiji Soto Mission, the community gathered to honor the memories of loved ones and keep a Japanese tradition alive. The annual bon dance brought hundreds of residents and visitors together for a lively drum performance, dancing and food. Draped from the temple roof, names of deceased love ones on slips of paper fluttered in the breeze as the beat of Taiko drums signaled a reunion with their spirits. Photo by Sarah Ching.

Editor’s note: In a series highlighting Molokai musicians, the Dispatch asks local artists about their roots, passions and influences.

Bob Underwood was born in Indiana, grew up in Pensylvania and Colorado, and moved permanently to Molokai in 2003. He is a first grade teacher at Kaunakakai Elementary School.

Underwood spent the first 20 years of his musical life performing all kinds of pop and jazz music. He plays many instruments, although bass is his main instrument and guitar his second choice. “I can play decent violin, but I wouldn’t hire me as a violinist,” he said with a laugh.…

Editor’s note: In a new series highlighting Molokai musicians, the Dispatch asks local artists about their roots, passions and influences.

Zelie Duvauchelle was born and raised in Puko`o on the east end of Molokai. She is currently working on her album entitled “Hu,” which means “to pour forth.”

For the last 20 years, she has been performing, composing songs and preparing for this album.

Duvauchelle’s big news is that her album will be co-produced with recording engineer Milan Bertosa. Bertosa recorded Israel Kamakawiwo`ole singing “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” and “White Sandy Beach” for the first time in a spontaneous late-night studio session in 1988.…

This coming Memorial Day weekend, May 27-31, the sounds of the happiest instrument on earth will once again fill the lodge at Pu`u O Hoku Ranch as the Ukulele Ohana Molokai workshop and its teacher Lono, return for the fifth year.

The theme this year will be Mele O`o or powerful music. Participants will learn the deep roots of Old Style Hawaiian music with Lono on their ukulele, and to experience the vibrant community of Molokai. When asked what inspires him to write and teach Lono says, “The line between the past and the present, through our ancestors, prepares us for the future.…

I am hugely grateful to be a part of the amazing Tuesday Kanikapila jam group up at Coffees of Hawaii. It had such an effect on me, seeing how much joy and aloha is shared by such a beautiful group of people just getting together to make music, that I had to write about it!

The group’s founders Waipa Purdy, Roy Horner and Bill Perdue kindly shared their interpretations of Aloha, and I wrote the article for my Huffington Post blog.

Molokai hula dancers and vendors spent months rehearsing and crafting with a specific purpose in mind: sharing the stories of Molokai at the 52nd Merrie Monarch Festival.

After a decade-long absence from hula’s premiere annual event, Moana’s Hula Halau traveled to Hilo for the weeklong hula and cultural festival from April 5-11, along with 10 Molokai businesses. Twenty-four halau from Hawaii and the mainland came to compete in solo and group competitions, bringing their own unique take on Hawaii’s renowned method of storytelling.

“It’s not about being pretty,” said Kumu Hula Valerie Dudoit-Temahaga of Moana’s Hula Halau. “… It’s not about the beauty of being on the stage.…

This coming Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26, the sounds of the happiest instrument on earth will once again fill the lodge at Pu`u O Hoku Ranch as the Ukulele Ohana Molokai workshop and its teacher Lono, return for the fourth year in a row.

The theme this year will be Mele O`o or powerful music. Participants will be coming from around the world to learn the deep roots of Old Style Hawaiian music with Lono on their ukuleles, and to experience the vibrant community of Molokai. When asked what inspires him to write and teach Lono says, “The line between the past and the present, through our ancestors, prepares us for the future.…

Molokai Ranch will be hosting the Molokai Ranch Heritage Rodeo on Saturday, April 25 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Molokai Ranch in Maunaloa. In addition to the wide range of rodeo festivities, there will be a special live performance by Hawaii music icons and Grammy Award-winning artists Henry Kapono, John Cruz, and Brother Noland, who together call themselves the “Rough Riders.”

Pre-sale tickets are now available from various Molokai locations. The price for advance tickets is $10. Tickets will be $12 at the door the day of the rodeo.

Molokai will get a musical treat on March 30. The Spring Wind Quintet, recognized as one of the country’s leading wind quintets, will be playing a concert at Kaunakakai Elementary School Cafeteria at 6 p.m.

The Spring Wind Quintet has been a major force in the development of chamber music in Hawaii, and many new works have been composed and arranged especially for the group. The quintet has an extensive and varied repertoire earning several national grants and offers educational programs for all ages.

Please join us for an exciting program featuring a variety of music including Hawaiian Songs, Songs from the World War 1 era, and late romantic/early 20th century music for the Wind quintet. …

Katchafire stands with Paulele Alcon, second from the right, before the show. Photo by Bianca Moragne.

Hawaii’s Finest Clothing has come a long way since its humble beginnings on Molokai. For Paulele Alcon, what began as a T-shirt for his cousin’s bachelor party turned into one of the most successful local clothing businesses in the state, he said. With two retail locations under his belt, Alcon decided to give thanks to the community that supported him all along.

To celebrate a milestone of five years in business, Alcon returned to Molokai, the birthplace of both himself and his company. He hosted a free anniversary concert at One Alii Park Friday night featuring Molokai’s Roots Mafia, Just Cuz, Melia Kalawe and Katchafire, the band that played at Hawaii’s Finest first concert.…